Contribution of the Swiss Communist Party

Contribution by the Swiss Communist Party to the European Communist Action
teleconference on party work within the youth movement

Dear Comrades,

The historical formation of the Swiss Communist Party, both in the past and in the present, is intimately linked to the political, trade-union and internationalist work within the Swiss youth.

It is irrefutable that in the various historical phases of the Swiss Communist movement's development, partisan work within the youth has provided the party's militant cadres.

The most striking example dates back to the founding of the Communist International. While the Swiss Socialist Party backtracked on its decision to join the Communist International, the Socialist Youth joined as a block and was a consequent source of the Swiss Communist
Party's foundation in 1921. In the decades that followed, we can point to several moments when communist work within the youth movement was fundamental to the development of the party. In particular, we can mention two: the moment of the anti-fascist struggle in the 30s and the moment of international solidarity with anti-imperialist struggles in the 60s and 70s.

The historical lessons to be drawn depend on the political analysis of each period, but we can certainly draw some general conclusions in terms of organization. The Swiss communist movement was stronger and more organized during these periods of intense struggle,
thanks in particular to the work within the youth movement, but the social implantation, organizational continuity and revolutionary projection of communist organization have always suffered from instability and discontinuity between these periods.

Factors not particularly related with the work within the youth movement, but not completely dissociated either, have frustrated at various levels the efforts to consolidate a revolutionary Communist Party: anticommunism within the workers' movement; weakness of theoretical work and organization according to communist principles; bourgeois-conservative framing of youth through the institutions of school, apprentice work and the army.

Erroneous political lines, such as organic unity with social-democratic forces on the pretext of the anti-fascist struggle in the 30s and 40s, or the overestimation of spontaneous social movements in the 60s and 70s, and the accumulation of their negative consequences, also
affected the development of the communist movement. Thus, defeatism, reformism, revisionism and opportunism gained the upper hand in the Swiss communist movement in the second half of the 20th century.

Looking back, the reconstitution of the Swiss Communist Party was also the fruit of political work within the youth movement, which taught itself Marxism and internationalism through the social struggles of the 90s. Of course, this process began without the finality that later materialized. Fortunately, it led to the refounding of the Swiss Communist Party in 2002. The militant composition was essentially young, but the project was conceived as a party and not as a youth organization. It's clear, however, that we did make some youthful mistakes, like any new organization.

For a century, the Swiss communist movement has been constantly emerging, attempting to constitute itself and to be reborn from the youthful forces of the workers-popular movement, with the fundamental difficulty of consolidating a stable and permanent Marxist-Leninist leadership. Through the militant experience of our party, as well as the study of the Swiss Communist movement, we can move with enthusiasm towards a resolution of this historic problem.

Thus, the Swiss Communist Party's conception of political work within the youth movement is based primarily on the need to train, regroup and unify ideologically and organically the different communist generations of the past, present and those who will come in the future.

For example, our youth organization, the Swiss Communist Youth, was built up from scratch in the 2000s through a long process of political and organizational work. Founded as an organization separate from the party, it decided a few years later to integrate collectively into the Swiss Communist Party as part of efforts to regroup communist forces on the basis of Marxism-Leninism.

Dear Comrades,

The peoples and the international working class are currently facing major challenges: imperialist war, the social, cultural and economic crisis of the capitalist system, the rise of reactionary forces, and reformist and nationalist illusions. The fundamental response to all
these challenges is to develop the class struggle and strengthen communist organizations.

In the immediate term, it is essential to develop a practical, active and grassroots work within the Swiss youth movement, just as the party does within the working class and popular strata. In Switzerland, we are working to contest the policies of capitalist governance,
specifically within the youth movement, to organize young workers to defend workers' conquests, and to regroup forces fighting for socialism-communism.

We consider that the sectors in which we need to make a communist work are the following.

Firstly, a significant proportion of young people between the ages of 15 and 18 complete their training through apprentice work, which means working under the direction of private or public-sector employers. In Switzerland, education is mandatory only up to the age of 15, and apprentice work is a well-established form of professional training. Secondly, another group of young people without qualifications is subject to new forms of informal work, such as delivery drivers. Thirdly, students in tertiary education work in small jobs with very precarious working conditions, in particular on-call work. Finally, another significant proportion of young people opt for civilian service, an alternative situation to the mandatory army, and undergo intense work experience often in poor conditions.

The majority of young people are confronted with economically precarious work situations, with no rights and no stability. Our intervention in these sectors is highly targeted and constantly expanding.

On the other hand, the political work of our youth organization is oriented towards international solidarity, notably in support of the Palestinian people, their freedom and independence; in support of the Cuban socialist revolution and against the US imperialist blockade; against the criminalization of struggles in our country and against the repression of communist organizations, symbols and ideas, which is developing in a serious way at international level. As such, our youth organization and our party denounce the Venezuelan government's attacks on the Communist Party of Venezuela.

The Swiss Communist Youth attaches great importance to the ideological training, the study of Marxism-Leninism and the propaganda of communist principles within the youth movement.

We pay close attention to the development of the class struggle in every corner of Switzerland. The popular strata are waking up, and young communists need to be in the vanguard of these struggles. If these struggles are not to be reduced to dead-end revolts, they must take the path of a revolutionary break, to strengthen the popular workers' movement, to strengthen the Communist Party and its organizations and to strengthen the fight for socialism-communism.